One of the towns, Hanover Park, is less than two weeks away from tapping Lake Michigan`s fresh-water supply.

``We`ve been working hard to correct barium levels in our water,`` said Dennis Dawson, village manager of Hanover Park, one of seven suburbs that shared the cost of a $120 million pipeline to Lake Michigan.

``We`re about 10 days away from getting Lake Michigan water, which would solve all our problems,`` Dawson said. He added that Hanover Park`s drinking water has met the federal barium standard for most of the last year.

On Monday, the federal EPA announced that it was acting to cancel exemptions issued by the Illinois Pollution Control Board to 19 suburban and Downstate communities, allowing them to distribute water that contains excessive levels of radioactive radium, barium or fluoride.

These elements, found naturally in the ground, contaminate well water. EPA officials said they were concerned that drinking such water over a long time could cause health problems, such a bone cancer, hypertension or tooth and bone deformities.

Random calls to Illinois communities named in the federal announcement disclosed that none was notified by state or federal authorities of the impending action. Most of the community officials were irate that they learned of the action from reporters.

``It`s not the first time the U.S. EPA has taken a ludicrous action by issuing news releases without notifying the people involved,`` said Joseph Misurelli, Crystal Lake city manager.

Several community officials also noted that they were in the process of solving their problems.

Mayor Harold Haller of Downstate Hanna City said: ``Both the state and federal EPAs have been a thorn in the side of small communities since the day they were organized. They come up with problems we have and offer solutions, but they don`t tell us how we are supposed to fund these things.``

Haller said the well water in Hanna City, population 1,361, has excessive fluoride and radium. A neighboring community constructed a plant to remove radium from drinking water at a cost of $500,000, the mayor said.

``Quite frankly, we don`t know where we`ll find half a million dollars,`` Haller said. ``When you operate on a $200,000 budget, it`s mind-boggling.``

Haller said he is looking for other sources of water that would be cheaper than treating existing well water.

Ron Podschweit, Batavia city administrator, said the state exemption issued last May gave Batavia five years to find a solution to its radium-laden water, and ``we`re in the process of doing that now.``

Several community officials also challenged federal drinking-water standards for radium, barium or fluoride, saying they are outdated or are being revised to make them less strict.